Lineman09

My girlfriend and I are looking into backpacking from Portugal to Italy, and maybe seeing Greece somehow too. Would anyone be able to let me know if that's possible to do in a month and if so are there any must see things on the way? Please let me know.

nukesafe

Are you planning on walking, hitch hiking, bus, train, plane? More information on your plans would help us help you with meaningful advise.

adrienne

I guess it's possible to visit 4 countries in 4 weeks, depending on where you want to do in those countries. It will cost you a lot more money to move around from Portugal to Greece than to stay in Portugal and Spain (since Spain is next to Portugal and transportation costs would be cheaper).

Or you could choose France and Italy and forgo Greece and Portugal.

There are thousands of must see places in those 4 countries. You must have some idea of what you want to see and what your interests are to have chosen 4 specific countries. As nukesafe says above, please give more details of your plans.

I would also suggest getting guide books from the library to decide what you want to see in each country. Once you've begun reading you'll find out that you could easily spend a month in each country.

Lineman09

I'm figuring we'll be talking the rain across those countries and then the ferry from Italy to Greece if we had time. I would love to spend alot more time there but I don't have enough time off of work. I don't really know anything about what is out there so I definitely do need those guides. I just know some people who have been to Italy, Greece, and Portugal and they have said it was really really nice.

nukesafe

I'd like to suggest that if you are planning to backpack across Europe without a whole bunch of $$$, you might find some really useful information on the Thorntree site.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa

That Forum is more for the low budget, make it up as you go along, traveler. Between the two sites you should be able to get a lot of helpful information in planning your adventure.

kybourbon

Not many backpackers on this forum. You might try the Lonely Planet Thorntree forums which has many backpackers.

Lineman09

Thanks alot guys. If you come up with any other suggestions plese post them.

adrienne

Italy and France are wonderful. I'm going to Portugal shortly and from the photos I've seen and from researching the trip I expect it to be wonderful too.

You will only get out of the trip as much as you put into it. If you do no or little research your trip will not be as rewarding because you'll wander aimlessly and probably miss some awesome sights due to lack of knowledge.

You need to decide what type of trip you want. Do you prefer cities or countryside/small towns. What type of sights interest you: museums, churches, monuments, historical sights, pretty villages, shopping, hiking, biking, seaside, etc. Once you've made that determination and read about the sights you are better able to plan your trip.

If you travel from Portugal to Italy, through France, and then to Greece via Bari you will not get to see Paris or Rome. Does this matter to you?

I advise again on cutting back on the number of countries you visit in a short time.

Lineman09

I do want to see Paris and Rome. Do you think I should just plan 2 seperate trips? One with Portugal, Spain, and France and then the second with Italy and Greece?

travelerjan

Yes.

adrienne

Now we're getting somewhere. You have 2 places you would like to see - Paris and Rome. Help us out a bit more and tell us what other places you want to see.

If Paris and Rome are goals (is Venice a place you would like to visit?) then I would concentrate on France and Italy and save the other countries for another trip.

You could start in Paris, then see something outside Paris on the way to Italy (D Day beaches, Riviera for instance). Proceed to Venice, Florence, and fly home from Rome. You can add places like Pompeii or Cinque Terre to the agenda.

Please let us know your interests. The more you reveal the more help you'll get.

Lineman09

lol well that sounds like a real good idea. Right now i'm just interested in seeing the country side of these countries. I don't really know what kind of attractions are in the major cities yet. I am going to go buy some guides for these countries but I haven't done so yet.

adrienne

If you're on a budget then check out some guide books from the library. You can buy a guide book when you know which one(s) you like. I would start with the Let's Go series which is geared to students/backpackers. Also good is Lonely Planet and Rough Guide.

rr2035

Back in 2003 I took a month long trip that started in Madrid and ended in Rome. We spent one or two nights at each stop along the way (which will make a lot of people wince), I admit it was pretty fast but we got to see some amazing things. This was our route:

Madrid, (overnight train) OPorto, Lisbon, Lagos, Seville, side trip to Jerez, Ronda, side trip to Gibralta, Grenada, (overnight train)Barcelona, side trip to Figueras, Tossa de Mar, (overnight train) Nice, Cinque Terra, Verona, Venice, Florence, side trip to Pisa, and Rome.

Some places are easier to get to by bus vs. train. In addition to guide books, you may want to start with a big map of Europe and kind of plot out a rough route and then go from there. Whatever you guys decide you will have an amazing time. Also, Portugual and Spain were a bit cheaper than France and Italy (at least as I remember it).

Lineman09

Thanks alot for that. That is what i'm looking to do. Not spend too much time in each city but enough to see how amazing it is. Which cities were the better out of them? And which ones should I make a priority to see?